Saturday, January 07, 2006

Yarn and Birthday

After two days of work, this is the state of my knitted sock project. Why does expensive yarn not come in pull skeins like cheap yarn? I bought this 100% hand-washable wool at the new Wooly Moose downtown. It cost $5.00 compared with what I normally buy at Walmart for $2.00. When I released it from the one strand of yarn that held it in an attractive twisted roll, it fell into a gigantic tangle that only became worse as I tried to roll it into a ball. I began the de-snarling yesterday, then put in three more hours today. When I finally managed to unravel the mess, I photographed the moment. Since I worked from both ends of the continuous strand, I ended up with two balls joined by a single cord, like the twins I sometimes see in utero on Discovery Health Channel. I have not separated them yet, preferring to let them rest in mute testimony to my apparently limitless patience, my dogged determination. Knitting the socks will be anti-climactic.

What possessed me to do this is vague in my mind. Lisa wanted to learn to make socks(her yarn was relatively more compliant than mine), and I agreed to help her. A quick project would give me relief from the never-ending afghan I started last winter, and I do like to make socks. But why did I buy new yarn when I have many skeins of perfectly good acrylic (i.e. cheap and machine washable) left from other projects? Well, I don't know. When they are done, I will have the most expensive and time-consuming pair of socks I ever owned, and I will wear them once. I must pick the occasion carefully.

In other news, my sixty-first birthday came and went with a moderate amount of fanfare. Two cakes were made by Judy and Sydney for our art group to share. Two different people (Judy and Elizabeth H.) called and sang Happy Birthday to me over the phone. Alice and Ann both wished me Happy Birthday in messages. Carrie called, though I wasn't home. David took me out to dinner. Linda gave me a hand painted silk scarf, and David bought me my own domain name. Elizabeth, born on January 5, has planned a Capricorn dinner for Saturday at the Loca. As always, it was wonderful to be remembered, and I warmed to the attention.

About Me

I am a painter and live in a small coastal town with two dogs, a cat, two parakeets, and five chickens. My two adult children live in nearby states and visit when they feel like going to the end of the earth. This world around me is beautiful and I have a good life without really trying.